What is Max Price on the WhatsApp Business Platform?

How it works

On the Marketing Messages API (the platform formerly called Marketing Messages Lite API), Meta can price delivery of a given marketing message within a range rather than at one fixed rate. Max Price is the ceiling a sender sets for that message: the most Meta is allowed to charge to deliver it. A message priced above that ceiling is not sent at that price, which gives a sender a way to control marketing spend per message rather than reacting after the bill arrives.

Meta's rollout has moved in stages: a limited beta from 15 May 2026, an open beta from 1 Oct 2026 that made the setting available to more senders and countries, and a planned general availability in Q2 2027, at which point Meta says Max Price becomes required in eligible geographies rather than optional.

Worked example

Suppose a business plans a festive marketing campaign on the Marketing Messages API and wants to keep per-message cost predictable before the send goes out. By setting a Max Price for the campaign, the business tells Meta the most it is willing to pay to deliver each message; the illustrative outcome is that the campaign either sends within that ceiling or does not send that message at the higher price. The exact bidding mechanics and how price interacts with delivery optimisation are controlled by Meta and are not documented down to the last detail; treat Max Price as a cost control, not a guarantee of delivery.

Why it matters

• A cost cap, not a delivery promise. Max Price limits what you pay per message; whether that message reaches the recipient still depends on opt-in, policy and Meta's delivery decisions.
• Country availability varies. Because the rollout is staged by country and account, a sender using the same integration in two countries may find Max Price available in one and not the other.
• Error 131065. If a Messaging account tries to use Max Price in a country where Meta has not yet enabled it, the send fails with error 131065. The fix today is to send without setting Max Price, or wait for availability in that market.
• Only on the Marketing Messages API. Max Price applies to marketing sends on that API, not to Cloud API sends generally and not to utility or authentication messages, which are billed at Meta's fixed rate card price.

Where this fits for Broadchat partners and clients

Meta's published rate card is what Broadchat and its partners bill messaging against today (see WhatsApp API pricing), and Max Price is Meta's own control layer on top of the Marketing Messages API, set at the Messaging-account level rather than inside a reseller panel. If your business sends marketing campaigns through the Marketing Messages API setup guide and starts seeing 131065, it means Max Price is not yet enabled for that account's country; check Meta's current rollout before assuming the campaign content is the problem.